Types of Ice Cream
by rosegoldandgrey
Summary: Neo's adventures at Beacon. WARNING: Spoilers and a fairly sad ending.
1. Neapolitan with Chocolate Sauce

**Author's Note: Hey, Reader! This is my first fanfic to ever be bought to the public, so enjoy! Parts of this chapter were inspired by reading another fanfic however I copied nothing. I do not own RWBY or anything associated with it, this is a fan's interpretation of a fun series. Again, enjoy!**

The blonde pushed Neo up against the wall of the back alley with one arm, and fired up the gauntlet on her free arm, positioning herself to strike. Neo cried out in pain as her left shoulder was pushed back against the wall, the already painful joint making her cringe as it strained. She struggled, but was in no condition to fight, especially against the brawler hell-bent on revenge.

"Please!" Neo cried, her eyes settling on their pale pink of fear. She wanted to reach for her umbrella, but that had been knocked out of her reach by the dark-haired Faunus glaring at her from behind her oppressor. The Faunus girl raised an eyebrow, her cold glare staying fixed on her face, and placed a hand on the blonde's arm, indicating for her to stop, but stay prepared. Neo fell to the ground and instinctively reached for her umbrella, but couldn't reach to it. She suppressed a cough, feeling the blood in her throat and willing it to stay down.

The Faunus' eyes were cold, steady, "so you can talk?"

Even in her injured state, Neo couldn't resist rolling her eyes sarcastically. "Well, duh." She coughed, and tasted the metallic taste. She couldn't let them see that.

"You don't talk in battle" said the blonde, her gauntlet still ready and her still poised in case she had to put Neo's china-doll face through a wall.

"Can we keep that out of this?" Neo couldn't supress her cough anymore, and covered her mouth to catch a few drops of the crimson in her gloves. The girls' hard exteriors melted away at the sight of her gloves, the blonde's big-sister instincts kicking in as she went up to Neo.

"Did I cause the bleeding?" she asked.

"No that was-" Neo stopped herself before she told them anything. They had almost hurt her, anyway.

The Faunus' glare returned. "It was who, exactly?"

"My old boss. She- I mean I- just- well." She couldn't hide this from them. "I'm no longer a member of the white fang." The Faunus made a sarcastic, sceptical sound. "It's true!" she looked up at the dark-haired girl pleadingly, and felt her chest tighten.

"Tell us what happened." The blonde's voice made Neo look at her, and she held Neo's gaze for a few seconds. "Do you need to go to the medical centre?"

Neo almost laughed. "Like they wouldn't recognise me?" Her eyes flickered between the two. "And aren't we enemies?"

The dark girl looked down at her again. "I was a member of the White Fang, remember? And health before relationships. I don't care what Torchwick taught you. Take care of yourself instead of being so proud." Neo looked over at the brawler, who nodded. Neo tried to get up, and the girl helped her up. The Faunus girl got her umbrella and offered it to her, and Neo used it as a support with the blonde supporting her other side. They made their way to a small hospital nearby, one known for asking few to no questions. As they walked, the Faunus continued interrogate her, about Torchwick and the White Fang and how she got so injured. Neo explained her old boss- she called her "C"- hadn't been happy with Torchwick's incarceration, and so had used one of her lackey's semblances to hurt Neo while she was vulnerable and afraid, after her round in the tournament had been completed and she was no longer needed.

"And that's why I cough blood sometimes. And why my shoulder's messed up." She finished rapidly. They arrived at the clinic doors, and the dark-haired girl stepped back as the doors opened. The blonde looked at her.

"Not coming in?" she asked.

The Faunus shook her head. "These places kind of creep me out." Neo privately agreed with her, but they'd already got her here, she couldn't run away now. If they recognised her, it would all be over, but she was taking that chance. What choice did she have, really? It had been three days, and the blood was getting worse. She and the blonde walked in, and she took a seat as the girl went to the desk to talk with the receptionist. Neo felt herself slipping out of consciousness for a second; she blinked hard as the blonde yelled "NO DOCTORS? WHAT IS THIS, SOME KIND OF SECOND-RATE SURGERY?" It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Even the Faunus girl came in hurriedly to pull the fuming brawler aside to calm her down. Even in the almost- unconscious state Neo was in, she noticed how the dark-haired girl's touch and voice calmed the brawler. Then she really did black out.

 **Ooh, what have we here? Is this a Yang/Blake pairing? I'm totally joking, the answer will be revealed in good time. If you want more, give this a review telling me so. All criticism is totally welcome as well. Later, babes!**


	2. Rocky Road Ice Cream

**Author's Note: Hello again. So, I have a stack of chapters written because i wanted to upload them all at once to allow the audience to read them all in one go. They'll slow down around chapter 6 or 7 depending on how fast my writer's block disappears, haha. But let me know what you think of this in the reviews. Thanks for reading!**

When Neo woke up, it was night. She seemed to be in some kind of hospital bed, with crisp sheets and a small blanket. She turned her head slightly, taking in the high domed glass ceilings, her headboard against a pale, moonlit wall. Three makeshift walls of sturdy, opaque curtains separated her view from the rest of the room. With a jolt, she realised she was asleep in public, and worse in a place she could be recognised as Torchwick's accomplice! She shot up, sheets crinkling loudly, and cringed at her shoulder instinctively when she realised it was bandaged- in fact, she wasn't wearing her usual outfit, but was in a hospital gown. A movement next to her drew her attention to the blonde girl, who was typing something on her scroll, completely engrossed. Had she been there the whole time? It must have been a few hours, right?

The girl looked up. "Hey, you're alive!" She seemed genuinely happy.

Neo smiled back, then frowned. "I still don't know your name."

"That's a funny first thought!" she laughed, "It's Yang Xiao-Long. And you're Neo, right?"

"Neapolitan, yeah, Neo for short. Like the ice cream." She glanced up at her hair, and noticed that she felt her eye colour had changed. They were both brown. But- she wasn't bored. So how could they be…?

A nurse came into the makeshift room through a gap in the curtains, and glared down at them. "I'm glad you've woken up," she barked at Neo, "How are you feeling?"

Her stoic demeanour reminded Neo of a robot, and she felt a smile as she answered. "Fine, I guess, my shoulder doesn't hurt as much."

"It should have stopped hurting. It's just been dislocated. We can fix it in a matter of minutes." She gestured for Yang to join her. "Just a matter of popping it back into place." Neo closed her eyes, and felt hands on her left arm and shoulder, followed by a sharp pain- then relief. She opened her eyes, and the nurse glared down at her. "The headmaster Ozpin has asked to see you. He asked for you to be sent up as soon as you felt better."

"Headmaster?" Neo looked at Yang for an explanation.

"Yeah, we're in Beacon Academy's infirmary, didn't I mention that?" She replied nonchalantly. Neo tried to protest, but Yang said, "You should probably get dressed. I'll wait outside at the reception. Just head to the desk then out the door. Blake's already told professor Ozpin everything, anyways, so this is just a formality meeting." And with that both Yang and the nurse turned and marched out of the door, the only trace of their presence in the room being the swinging curtain and Neo's astounded expression. Her head was spinning again. The professor knew everything? She was in a school? Of COMBAT? She didn't ache anymore, but what if she made a bad impression on him and he had her arrested? Just the thought made her body feel bad. And what if she coughed blood in his office? She sighed. Oh well, better face him now, and get it over with.

She got her jeans on securely, and the belt fastened, facing away from the entrance Yang and the nurse had used, and was about to button up her corset when the curtain was pulled up, and a guy with crimson hair, half his head shaved, came rambling into her room. "See Sage, I am sensitive, I came to visit you and everything-" he stopped head at the sight of Neo, her hair covering her breasts, but otherwise naked on her top half.

She felt her anger swell up. Couldn't he knock or something? She turned her head towards him with a glare in her eyes, and despite his height advantage he seemed to shrink as she looked down on him. He dropped the curtain and she heard his footsteps back away from hers. She noticed the hubbub of voices in the infirmary, even though its lighting indicated it was late evening. She stopped and looked down at herself. Had he seen her back? Her scars? Did he know? She shook herself. He seemed fairly proper, he wouldn't try to ask her about them, would he?

She continued dressing, her thoughts buzzing. She finished pulling on her boots, adding those vital 4 inches to her height to knock her up to 4 foot 9 inches, and picked up her umbrella as she headed to the curtain gap. She stepped out and turned to walk to the exit, when she had an idea. She turned back and looked around, searching for the guy. She spotted his red jacket at the end of a bed a couple of beds down from hers that didn't have the curtains closed. She stepped down to the curtain, concealing herself from the person in the bed, and looked at him. He was handsome, there was no denying that. She studied him for a few seconds as he chatted to the guy in the bed- Sage, wasn't it? - And his gaze shifted to meet hers, causing a jolt of electricity to hit her chest and stomach.

She blushed. "Can I talk to you?" she asked quietly, almost in a whisper. He nodded quickly, issued an apology to his friend, and joined her at the curtain. She looked down at the ground. She didn't have time to waste. She felt her eyes shift to pink again. She was scared of talking to him?

"What did you see?" She couldn't meet his gaze, but felt it burning into her.

"See?"

"My back!" She felt impatient suddenly, as if she were about to snap. A look of understanding dawned on his face.

"Um, not much." He seemed nervous, too. "I saw some scars and stuff, but your hair covered quite a lot of your back. Why?"

She looked at him. "Don't ever tell anyone about them. They're… private. OK?" He nodded. She was unsure what to do, so she turned and flounced off. Her grip on her umbrella tightening. She felt him watching her walk away, but didn't look back. She headed out the double doors after issuing a hasty thanks to the nurse, and looked for Yang on the row of chairs. Yang was standing opposite the chairs, and Neo almost bumped into her.

"You seem distracted!" Laughed Yang, and Neo felt bad. Yang had done so much for her and she'd almost ignored her? "What could have happened in the last ten minutes that made this happen?"

Neo considered telling her, but didn't. "I… blacked out again." She wasn't intentionally hiding things from her, but her scars were secret. They weren't up for discussion.

Yang led the way up to Ozpin's office, up the elevator and knocked on the door. Neo and Yang entered after being given the signal, Neo nervous beyond comprehension. She felt a cough coning on. Not good. She levelled her breathing and tried to keep calm.


	3. Superman Ice Cream

Her talk with Ozpin had gone well. It was surprisingly fast-paced and he had seemingly already made up his mind that Neo was to join his academy and Yang and Blake's team, team RWBY. Neo was still confused by how this could have gone through so quickly, but she was grateful she hadn't embarrassed herself and made a bad impression. She was heading up to the dorm with Yang and Blake, and was rather happy to have this second chance.

Yang opened the door to the dorm, where two more girls were already waiting.

"Blake! Yang!" One girl called out, Neo being hidden from view from both girls. "Professor Goodwitch told us we're getting a new teammate! And you guys found her! How did that happen?"

"Ruby" Yang tried to interject.

"What's she like? Let me guess she's a transfer student from another kingdom Yang this is going to be so fun!" She jumped up and caught sight of Neo. "YAAAAANG!" Ruby wailed. "Why her?"

The last girl of team RWBY, white and icy girl dressed in similar hues, reacted the worst. She almost killed Neo with her rapier, and Yang had to restrain her in order for Blake to explain why Neo was there. Weiss calmed down after hearing Ozpin had approved her (but hadn't Goodwitch told them? Wasn't Goodwitch a school official?) But still acted warily of Neo. The atmosphere in the room was so tense, Neo was sure breathing too loudly would cause it to shatter, so kept as small, still and quiet as possible. Yang, however, didn't have the same concerns.

"Neo, do you need to shower before bed?" she asked cheerily.

"Um, sure." Neo looked down at her ruined clothes. She had no alternatives, and chewed her lip. Should she ask to borrow some?

"Some pyjamas and uniforms were sent up for you, so you can change into that, and there should be a spare bar of soap and a toothbrush if you need them" Yang pointed Neo to the dorm bathroom while the rest of the team got on with homework, and got her clean clothes and towels.

"How do I put these in the wash?" Neo asked quietly, worried she would never get them back.

"Just put them in the wash basket and they'll be collected from outside the dorm when we take it out tomorrow morning. Don't worry so much." It was like Yang could read her mind sometimes.

Neo thanked Yang and stepped into the bathroom alone. She undressed and let the hot water run over her skin, and let it was away everything she'd been feeling for the past few days. This was a safe place, wasn't it? She didn't have to worry about Cinder and that lot turning up and hurting her, no matter what students they were posing as they wouldn't be near her. She turned off the water and sighed. She was SAFE. Why was she stressing out?


	4. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

**Ok Guys, this is where most of the characters are introduced but you all know all of them already, haha. Again I do not own this, and forgot to put that on the last chapter because... I forgot, ok? Anyways, enjoy!**

Neo's night went smoothly, sleeping on a makeshift bed from blankets near the bunk beds. Yang promised they'd get the bed delivered soon, but Neo didn't mind. It was what she was used to, and preferred slightly harder surfaces sometimes.

She got dressed into a uniform that fit surprisingly well, and pulled the wash basket, with her clothes on top, out to the corridor as she left the room with team RWBY. As she did, she bumped into someone as she shuffled backwards. It was a tall boy, dressed in Beacon's uniform, with a sneer on his face. She mumbled a "sorry" and tried to walk away after the team, but he caught her by the wrist and leered at her. She shrank away.

"Hey, who's this freak?" he sneered to his team. "She doesn't look normal. Did your mom fuck an ice cream cone or something?" his voice pissed Neo off.

"Hey Cardin!" a voice called from behind the team of boys, "Can you not?" Neo recognised the accent. It was… that red-haired boy from yesterday! She was grateful, but she didn't need to be defended. She would prove that. She grabbed Cardin's arm with both of her own, and twisted it backwards. She blinked and felt her eyes changing, each to their own colour. Cardin crumpled like paper in front of her, and as he fell she became visible to the other boys and to HIM. She let go of Cardin's arm, and turned to walk off. She was down the corridor before she heard any sound through the roaring of blood in her ears. She let her eyes fade back to pink. At least she was away from that beast.

"Hey" The redhead said, cupping her elbow with his hand. He had been right behind her the whole time. Neo jumped and spun around. He smiled at her.

"Um" Neo said, "Hi… I'm Neapolitan, but call me Neo." she looked around for her teammates. They must have gone to the hall already. A blond boy stood next to the redhead.

"I'm Scarlet, and this is Sun, my team leader. The other two members of our team are, regrettable, absent." Neo glanced a nod at Sun, and shrank into her clothes. "So, Miss Neo, would you like to walk to breakfast with us?

She felt her body tense up, and pulled her arm away from him. "Sure…" she stammered.

"We came up to find Blake and the team," said Sun, "But they must have already gone down. Ah well, let's go, everyone." Neo understood why he was team leader. He had so much energy and enthusiasm. They walked quietly while Sun tapped away at his scroll. She ate with her team and Sun's, and they walked to class together. She noticed Blake had a thing with Sun, and Neptune who appeared late seemed to get along well with Weiss, though he had paid Neo some attention when he first came in, only turning to Weiss when she tugged playfully at his arm. He had glanced at Neo all through breakfast, though, making her nervous. They reached the classroom and she slipped into a seat beside Yang, Scarlet and his team sitting next to them.

Neo noticed Scarlet was gentlemanly, pulling her seat out for her, which only made her more nervous. She fiddled with her hair and tried to focus on Ooblek's lecture on the Faunus baby boom 70 years ago that made up the majority of Mistral's Faunus population. She felt Scarlet's warmth, despite not touching him.

When the bell rang, she noticed he took a little while gathering his things while the rest of the teams slid out and headed for the door. Neo was in no rush to hurry out either. Despite her nerves, she felt comfortable around him. She knew that he could be trusted, and that he was a good person. They walked together to the rest of the teams. Neo suddenly saw an image in her head of her and Scarlet holding hands, walking happily together, and mentally stopped herself from crossing that border. She'd known him for a grand total of 12ish hours. No way would she start thinking about a relationship so early on. Still… for all the people to get a crush on, we wasn't the worst. There was always Cardin, who made everyone look better because of his atrocious personality.

When they reached the door, the group had already started heading for their next class, which was Port's lecture on Grimm population. Neo thought it was strange they were learning about these things while the tournament was going on, but she didn't know what would replace classes if they weren't learning.

"So how did you find the lecture?" Scarlet asked her as they trailed behind the group. Neo was glad Neptune kept Weiss towards the front of the group. She knew Weiss hadn't yet warmed to her, by the way her eyes had watched Neo warily the whole morning.

"It was interesting," Said Neo, "I didn't know anything about Mistral's Faunus population. You?"

"I grew up there, so I knew a bit about it. But the way they teach here…" He shook his head, "they're so detached from their teachings, like they aren't talking about people, just numbers on a page they read off of." He seemed upset about it.

Neo looked at him for the first time since they had walked to breakfast, and noticed his earring hanging by his eye tattoo. His emerald eye glinted with what looked like a tear, before he blinked it away. "What do they teach in your academy?" She asked.

He laughed a little. "Haven teaches stuff a lot more emotionally. Maybe it's just that lecture but they seem… distant here." Neo didn't particularly care about how the academies were different, she just felt drawn to his voice. His odd, posh accent, like waves breaking on a beach to her, was the most beautiful sound. Wait. She was getting too involved for someone who just met him. Hadn't she been over this already?

She gave an "Mm" sound and they walked in silence. She wanted to talk some more but didn't know what to say. They arrived at Port's classroom and saw all the seats were taken except for a few in the back row. Once again, Scarlet drew her chair out for her and made sure she was comfortable before he sat next to her. She tried to focus on the lecture, but allowed her mind to wander once the professor started rambling on about an adventure he had had. Before she knew it the lecture had ended and she was walking to lunch with the whole group, accompanied in her slow pace by Scarlet once again. After a quick lunch, Neo felt ready to attend their next lecture.

"Neo? Don't you want to go up to the dorm to put your books away with us?" Yang asked her.

"Why would we do that? Don't we have another lecture?" Neo asked, confused.

Ruby laughed. "We get afternoons off to go watch the tournament and go to the festival. It'll be even more fun with more people! Let's go put our books away and go catch some battles, OK?" She grabbed Neo by the arm and pulled her towards the door. Neo yanked her arm out of Ruby's grip and straightened herself out. How could she forget the tournament? She'd gone through the first round with Cinder and that lot because they needed her to, but now she had no reason to go to the tournament, right?

Up in their dorm room, Neo's clothes had been laundered in the few hours they'd been away, and she, like everyone else, got dressed into her chosen outfit of black corset, white jacket with pink lining, skinny jeans and boots. She picked up her umbrella, just in case she needed it, and fixed her hair and checked her face in the bathroom mirror. She had no makeup, but she had a little money, so maybe she could get some in town today. Her eyes seemed wider, and the skin around them paler. It was obvious she wasn't the girl she once had been. Or maybe she was just overthinking it. But she really did need some mascara.

The team headed down to the grounds to board an airship to the floating stadium, and they sat down to watch the city shrink in size as they went further away. They docked in a short amount of time, and made their way into the stands, Neo blending in as well as she could. She caused some ripples, though, because no-one else seemed to have split coloured hair like hers. She thought she saw a flash of Emerald's hair and gleaming red eyes, but she couldn't see her when she looked around over the crowd.

The match was in the double's round; team JNPR's Jaune Arc and Lie Ren versus a pair from Vacuo named Elai Richards and Georgia Minor. These weren't the ones going for the trophy, rather they were working their way up through more minor leagues and competitions. The arena randomised itself, half into a field and half into a sandy desert. The pair from Vacuo seemed determined to get to the desert, as Vacuo was known for its hot weather. They could probably navigate that terrain better. Neo quickly scanned both teams, analysing skills and weaknesses by sight, and predicted mentally that Jaune would be knocked out first, but Ren might make it through to the next round, provided he beat the girls. They looked vicious, but seemed to be wary of the grassy terrain.

The fight began, and as Neo had predicted Jaune got knocked out in less than five minutes by Elai's weapon, some kind of battle axe which was also a sniper. Neo watched as his aura dipped into red and Ooblek pronounced him out. Ren did fairly well, considering he was fighting two opponents on his own. He dodged Elai's battle axe and knocked her out with one hit, and she fell off the arena's area, eliminated by that alone. Georgia, who had been watching from the desert, finally made a move, attacking Ren from behind and surprising him with her hammer like weapon, which was similar to his teammate Nora's. He dodged her attack easily, and moved quickly into the grassland, where he had the advantage. Neo narrowed her eyes. They seemed evenly matched, but if Ren got the advantage…

Ren, it turned out, was too quick for Georgia's attacks, using his handheld guns to propel him, flipping over her while still shooting. He landed on one foot and one knee, and immediately sprung up, surprising her from behind. Her aura slipped into the red, and Ren was left standing victorious.

 **Yaay, Ren is through to the next round! Ren has a special place in my heart, and I would never let him fail for the sake of story. That being said, he probably won't win the tournament. I am a just and merciful writer, and as much as I may want to have him succeed I haven't seen him fight to the point I'd say he could beat Phyrra or Blake, provided the terrain was advantageous. But hey, maybe we just haven't seen what he's capable of just yet? I'm, of course, talking about the actual series here. This was written while volume 3 is released so I know a little about the tournament but not enough to predict who will win. Ok, ramble over, hope you enjoyed the chapter, leave a review with feedback/criticism; all is welcome. See you next chapter my babes!**


	5. Cookie Dough Ice Cream

**Ok, so I've had this story up for a grand total of an hour and there are people already reaching this point? Don't worry, this may be the last chapter I'm posting today but there will be more soon, I promise. Leave a comment in the reviews, all criticism is welcome, enjoy the story! If there's something you want explained, just ask!**

 **I do not own RWBY, this is a fan made story.**

Team RWBY was down at the fairgrounds, waiting for team JNPR to congratulate Ren on his success. Ruby was beside herself, and Neo had to admit her happiness was contagious. Even Weiss seemed happier and less cold towards Neo, which was a pleasant change. Team JNPR joined them, with Ren silent as always but evidently thrilled and Jaune, bruised and tired, but still happy for the win. Nora was even more excited than Ruby, if that was even possible (did these girls not tire?), while Phyrra seemed… indifferent. She was happy as she always was, but still seemed fairly quiet. When asked about it, she brushed it off with focussing on her own fight strategy, but Neo could sense it was something different, not necessarily worse but she was definitely avoiding telling the truth. Yang seemed to pick up on it, too, but also kept quiet about it. They'd never seen Phyrra upset, and now wasn't the time to start a fight, not while they were celebrating.

"How about we go get food?" Suggested Nora perkily. Everyone agreed, Jaune and Ren most of all, starved after the fight. They would skip out on watching the next couple times and head down to the stadium later to watch the last few. They headed down to the noodle bar, near the other end of the fairgrounds, and were about to turn a corner when Neo heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, guys!" Emerald's voice rang loud and clear, super enthusiastic. Neo had never heard her this happy before. She was at the back of the group, and tried to make herself smaller in her clothes to avoid being seen.

"Hey, Em!" Yang replied. "You having fun over here, by yourself?"

"Well, I was supposed to meet up with Merc but he appears to have backed out on me!" Emerald's laugh was so fake. "I guess I was having fun, though. These stalls have so many weird little games!"

"Well, if you're not busy, why don't you join us for some ramen?" Nora chipped in, "We're celebrating Jaune and Ren's victory in the doubles round!"

"Um-" Emerald's eyes flickered; she was about to make up an excuse, when all of a sudden Neo found herself locked eyes with the tanned thief. "I should probably go look for Mercury, you know? He shouldn't have gotten this lost!" She looked back at the group. "Well, got to run!" Neo noticed she hightailed it out of there without giving anyone a chance to react.

Neo was shaking. How did these students know Emerald? Were they friends, or something? But Cinder wouldn't send Emerald to make friends with their enemy, would she? Neo's head was spinning. She wasn't sure what was going on. Maybe Cinder had infiltrated the school? That would make sense… but if she knew what was going on, why did she allow Roman to attack the city so callously? Maybe she didn't really care about Roman, whether he was imprisoned or free. He could be a pain at times. But still…

And before she knew what had happened, Neo had passed out.

When she awoke, she was back in the hospital bed. It took her a few minutes, but eventually she sat up, feeling woozy, and looked around. It was still sunny, couldn't have been later than 6pm. She sighed and pushed her legs out of bed. She'd prove to the nurse she was better already so she could leave and go back to the dorm. What must the others think of her, only her first full day here and she'd already been to the hospital twice? She pulled on her clothes- under her hospital gown, no-one else was going to see her back- and pulled away the curtain, coming face-to-face with Scarlet again. Whoops.

"Back here again?" Scarlet raised his visible eyebrow.

She blushed. "Yep, guess I am."

"So…." He mumbled. They both shuffled a little, unsure what to say. "How did you end up back in hospital?"

"I fainted at the fairgrounds. It was really weird, totally spontaneous." Neo felt nervousness overtake her emotions and wondered if her eyes were going to change colour. THAT would be totally spontaneous. She was sure it would freak him out, so she kept her eyes firmly on the ground, going even pinker with the added stress of keeping her eyes under control. They stood in silence again for a while. "Well, I've got to go tell the nurse I'm better, so I can get out of here. See you around!" She tore off past him and down to the desk.

"Wait!" His voice held her back. She turned slowly. "I was wondering…" He trailed off.

She raised an eyebrow, mirroring his earlier action. "Wondering… what?" She wasn't trying to be rude. She just didn't know how to react to a nervous boy. Especially one she liked…

"I was wondering… If you'd like to go out sometime?" He blurted the last bit out in a hurry, his face quickly reaching the same shade as his hair. Neo stared at him, here eyebrow relaxing. Had he just asked her on a date?

She felt her mouth stretch until the corners hurt. "Sure. Absolutely!" And like that she was no longer nervous, stressed or ill. She forgot to care about what colour her eyes were. All that mattered was she had been asked out by Scarlet…

She refrained from doing anything strange until she was sure he couldn't see her, then she basically danced up to the dorm. She felt so happy that he actually noticed her! And only more good news awaited her back at the dorm, apparently. Everyone was being nice to her (Even Weiss, who was apparently being nice to everyone after agreeing to go out with Neptune. What a coincidence).

Also, her new scroll was delivered. It was a standard issue school one, but all students were expected to have one, at least for emergency contacts. It may have seemed expensive to her, having only ever been a mercenary paid a pittance, but the Student Finance office had been made aware of her situation and she was given financial support by the school's funding.

She also had a new set of clothes, identical to her own, tailored to her measurements. Yang explained it was standard for students to have at least two outfits to wear off school premises, as the uniforms were only supposed to be worn during school hours and clothes got dirty easily when you were a trainee huntress or huntsman. Neo was grateful for all of this, and for Scarlet, but she had a nagging feeling she had something to worry about, which she kept under wraps until she was alone in the bathroom, showering to get ready for bed. She had her pyjamas hanging on the rack so she could dress in the bathroom.

Emerald knew she was here. Emerald knew everything.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that much out.

What if Cinder found out? What if Emerald and Mercury (he was mentioned while Emerald and the teams were talking) kidnapped her or something? She didn't want to go back to the White Fang! This place was clean, comfortable, she was making friends, and she might even have a guy! Why were they here? What insidious plot where they scheming now? Why did they challenge everything that existed in order to cause chaos? She remembered something Roman had said as she let the hot water run through her hair and down her back, over the scars they had caused her. What was it he'd said? Something about authority… _But, before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy: the ones in control; the people pulling the strings; the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms! Government; military; even the schools: they're all to blame for your lot in life! And they're all pests that need to be dealt with!_ Yes, that was it! It came flooding back to her. Even as she'd stood there, bored, she knew those words were sugar coated lies. And maybe he hadn't believed them himself. He was Cinder's pawn, after all. But why pick on the schools? Was it because they were challenging his line of work? Threatening his illegal existence in society?

She turned off the water and got out, towelling herself until only her hair remained damp. She looked into the mirror above the sink, wearing only her bra and underwear. She pulled her hair over her right shoulder, and turned to see her back. The lines were still there; dark discolouration; signs of a childhood of beatings, being trafficked into a line of work she didn't want to do. But after that, she couldn't sell her body as her abusers had wanted her to, but her heart had gone through such trauma there were times…. Times she detached herself from her humanity. Her eyes could tell you exactly what her emotion was. Pink was afraid. Brown was bored. Left eye pink and right eye brown meant she was about to kill, straightforward, a simple, clean cut to the heart and a kiss on the cheek to leave them for the Grim reaper- or, if they were outside the kingdoms, a Grimm. But the right eye pink and the left eye brown… that's when she became more… creative. Vindictive and vicious, detached from humanity entirely. She didn't care who she killed, as long as she beat them fair and square. The brown eye was more dominant in colour and so made that side of her brain more dominant. Her hands shook as she gazed at her back. All of her life's problems, etched into flesh, but she must have been just another uncompliant child to them. This must have happened hundreds of times before, to them. She was just another tally mark, another one to be taught to fight.

But she was different. She had gotten this… Power, this identity, to change her identity, and she had used it. She hadn't cared who she used it for. Or on. And that was why Yang had almost died on that train. How did she get out of that? Neo wondered, as she finished getting dressed, enduring her back was invisible to the team. With a final glance around the bathroom to make sure nothing embarrassing was on display, she turned and walked back into the dorm room, and was met with Weiss' glare.

"What's wrong, Weiss?" Neo asked. Had she done something wrong, in the fifteen minutes she was gone? She noticed the rest of the team didn't look angry, but their expressions were unreadable as they avoided eye contact with her.

"What's WRONG?" Weiss practically shrieked at her, "well why don't you tell us!" She pulled out her scroll and showed Neo the screen.

The headline read "Roman Torchwick breaks out of Vale Prison while awaiting trial". Neo's jaw dropped. She read the headline again. He was… out? Oh, that's what Weiss was pissed about. She must have thought Neo busted him out. She looked at Weiss again. "Let me guess, you think this is my doing?"

"Who else could it be?" Weiss was only getting more hysterical. "I'm going to professor Ozpin RIGHT NOW and turning you in! I knew this was a mistake!"

Neo blinked, not quite understanding. She hadn't even done anything, yet Weiss was mad at her. She walked over to her bed and sighed. "Weiss, I didn't break him out. You guys believe me right?" she appealed to the rest of the team. Ruby looked torn, Blake unreadable, but Yang said, "I don't think it's possible for you to have done it. So yeah, I believe you."

Weiss turned on Yang with unusual anger. This was reserved only for those she hated in the heat of the moment. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" she exploded, "SHE'S GUILTY AS HELL AND SHE PROBABLY DID IT WHEN WE ALL THOUGHT SHE WAS IN HOSPITAL, IT WAS LIKE HALF THE DAMN DAY!"

Her voice continued to pierce Neo's headache until Yang screamed back, "OH MY GOD WEISS, WILL YOU SHUT UP!"

Weiss instantly stopped yelling, glared at Yang, and turned to storm out of the door. She huffed as she marched across the room. "I'm going to talk to General Ironwood before we're all killed!"

"Weiss Schnee, don't you dare leave this room!" Ruby's sudden outburst shocked everyone more than Yang's had.

Weiss' head snapped towards their crimson leader, and her eyes narrowed. "And why would I do that?" Her demeanour had gone to an icy calm, the calm before a storm Neo was sure. "She's trouble, and was missing for half the damn day! She's guilty as hell and that's final!" And she was gone.

Blake sighed, "Well, we'd better go after her. We know where she is, the professor's office." The girls agreed, and followed her out in their own pyjamas. Weiss hadn't been decently dressed, either, so it didn't really matter.

They raced over to Ozpin's tower, and the lift took an indecent amount of time to reach them. Weiss had taken it to the top, and they were on the ground floor. Once inside, Neo realised exactly how absurd the situation was. What had she done to deserve this treatment? (Stupid question really, she'd been Cinder and Roman's minion, and almost killed Yang. What hadn't she done wrong?) She couldn't see a way to get Weiss to like her, or any way to even get her to come to some kind of civil agreement. The lift seemed to take forever to reach the top, and when they arrived they found Weiss, Ozpin and Ironwood waiting for them, Weiss seemingly in tears and the other two stern faced.

"Ladies, I think there's some explaining to do," said Ozpin, stepping out from behind his desk where he was stood.


	6. Blue Moon Ice Cream

**Hey Guys! It's been a little while since I wrote... like a week? It took a bit longer for me to write this because one of the main critiques for this was Weiss wouldn't act like a brat. I get that. I don't make her horrible intentionally, trust me. I'm going to make her open up a bit more and be nicer, although it's not easy because... writer's block. This also took a while because I had a few tests, but now I'm averaging a C in Lit and B in Soc I should be able to write more. So, enjoy!**

 **I do not own RWBY. This is a fan's outlook on the series.**

Half an hour, and many hissy fits from Weiss, later, the girls were back in their dorm, now with a much subdued Weiss and a relieved Neo. As it turned out, Neo couldn't have been the perpetrator for two key reasons: Sage had said Scarlett had been waiting for Neo in the hospital from the moment he found out, not an hour after she had been brought in; and because Cinder had broken Torchwick out herself. CCTV had captured a few frames of them; there was no sign of a tiny, split-colour-hair girl wielding an umbrella. Weiss hadn't been thrilled to hear her accusations were false; apparently she hadn't even read the article, which outlined a woman fighting with burn crystals dressed in all black, but she was easily recognisable from the tournament broadcasts. Ironwood had issued Neo with a formal apology and said she was no longer under surveillance or a suspect in the investigation. Neo hadn't been aware of wither situation, but was glad to be free. The only problem now was the increased security in Vale, particularly in Beacon, following the release of a 'dangerous criminal mastermind'. Right, she thought, like I wasn't the one doing the heavy lifting while he spoke a monologue in the background. He wasn't dangerous, he was just another puppet, and Cinder was the puppeteer. Just because he was treated like an equal didn't mean he actually got to pull strings.

Neo turned over in bed later that night. It had been an eventful day, to say the least, and Neo wasn't able to fall asleep, despite it having been hours. She couldn't stop wondering why Cinder had broken Roman out of prison herself. She usually would have sent someone else, like Emerald or Mercury. But with them being in the doubles round of the tournament, they were too easily recognisable. There were always her other puppets, though, the unnamed masses she recruited through Roman and the White Fang. Or… even someone elite within the White Fang would have worked. What was his name…? Adam? Adam Taurus? He would have kept his identity hidden with his mask and still managed to pull the mission off successfully.

Neo's internal monologue was cut short by her scroll buzzing. She pulled it away from its charging port and opened the notification. It was a call from an unknown number. She blinked, confused, and got up quietly, opening the door to the hall before accepting the call. It sounded muffled, like it was in a pocket or face down on a table or bed, but she made out the voices of team SSSN. Who would call her so late at night to let her eavesdrop on another team's conversation? She checked the time on the hall clock; 1.30 AM. She was about to hang up the call when she heard Scarlett's voice.

"You really shouldn't be here." His voice was deeper than usual, sultry and seductive. She could listen to it for hours.

"I know, but I couldn't stop myself." It was a girl's voice, equally sexy. "You said you didn't want to see me, but I know that's not true." She laughed, which sounded more like a cackle to Neo.

"Hey Sun, how about we give them some privacy?" Neptune's voice rang out of her scroll loud and clear, making her jump.

"Sure," said Sun, and some scuffling noise told Neo that Scarlett was alone in the room with the girl. Whispering started, mainly hers, things that Neo couldn't quite make out, and she ended the call, scared of what she might hear if she stayed on to listen.

Tick, tock, went the clock. Neo stared at it as the seconds passed her by. She pushed herself off the wall she hadn't noticed she'd leant on, and tiptoed back into the room, not wanting to wake anyone. As she passed Weiss' bunk, Weiss stirred and turned to look at Neo.

"What are you doing up?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes, "It's like the middle of the night." Then her eyes snapped open. "Where were you? What were you doing? Why do you have your scroll?" she sat up, crossing her arms and waiting for an explanation.

"SHH! Not so loud. I don't want anyone to hear us!" she grabbed Weiss' arm and gently tugged her out of the room. She shut the door carefully, and turned to face Weiss.

"So?" Weiss had a take-no-prisoners look on her face.

Neo sighed. "I got a call from a random number, so I took it, and it was in team SSSN's dorm room. It sounded like Scarlett had a girl over, and someone wanted me to know about it."

Weiss' eyes widened, "You think it was a member of team SSSN? Could someone be jealous of Scarlett, and want to air his dirty laundry?"

"I guess so, but why me? How did they even get my number?" Neo had so many questions running through her mind, and felt her eyes begin to change colour at the thought of Scarlett messing her around.

"I have an idea." Weiss snapped her back to the present. "Let's run the number through my scroll and see who it comes up as."

"Brilliant idea!" Neo hadn't even thought about verifying the number.

"Wait here, I'll get it." Weiss slipped back into the room, reappearing a few seconds later. She held out a scroll Neo recognised as Blake's. Weiss shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "I couldn't find my own scroll so I borrowed Blake's. Don't give me that look!" she grabbed Neo's scroll and pulled the number up, tapping it into Blake's phone. The two girls squinted down at the name which had appeared: Sage Ayana. Weiss sighed incredulously.

"What the hell is going ON with that team?" She sounded like something they'd done had already pissed her off.

Neo turned to look at her, inquisitively. "What did they do to make you pissed off at them?"

Weiss looked back at her, shocked that Neo had read her so easily. She must have let her guard down and shown how she was feeling. No-one ever saw how she was feeling! "How did you tell?"

"Something's been winding you up since I got here, and I know it's not just me. In fact, it got worse tonight. Team RWBY and JNPR don't seem as upset as you, as far as I know this could be your personality but if that was the case your friends wouldn't even bother with helping you.

"What's more is that tonight you blew up even after it being impossible for me to have been the one to bust Roman out, there must have been something you were already pissed at and wanted to take it out on someone- anyone."

Weiss didn't seem happy about Neo reading her like that. It sounded like she repeated the point a few times. "Well, you're not wrong. I am pissed off at them. Neptune in particular."

"What did he do?"

"Just…" She squeezed her eyes shut, "He just… keeps saying such stupid stuff. And acting really weird, especially around our team. I mean, I knew he was a womaniser, but this is getting ridiculous. He barely even speaks to me. I have to drag his attention away from everyone else. And now his teammates are saying that it's my fault, I shouldn't try to change him and that if I don't like it I can break up with him. Sun basically said he wanted me to." Neo knew she wasn't being told the whole story, but didn't push it. She knew Weiss probably wouldn't appreciate being interrogated. She would open up more in her own time.

"Does Blake know?"

"Like I want her to be upset! I've only seen her angry one time. Never again."

Neo didn't even want to know what had happened when Blake got angry, but got the impression team RWBY were all very loyal to one another and didn't want to hurt each other, but that didn't justify letting Blake continue to date someone who was rude to her teammate… did it?

Weiss snapped her fingers in Neo's face, who had begun to lose herself to her thoughts. "Um, rude much? I'm talking. Don't daydream!"

"Sorry," Neo ran her fingers through her hair. "I think we should go back to bed, and talk about this tomorrow morning?"

"Sure." They turned and tiptoed back into the room, and headed to their separate beds. Neo knew whatever had happened, nothing good could come of this situation.


	7. Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

The next morning Weiss was still tense and clearly upset. Breakfast was quiet, but today they were joined by Sage, who had finally been let out of the hospital. He was built like a truck and was friendly. Scarlet tried to make conversation with her multiple times, but Neo didn't feel much like talking after what she had heard last night. In fact, she was zoned out for most of the morning, not focussing on the lectures or her surroundings. Ruby, Blake and Yang couldn't quite figure out what had happened to the two other members of their team, who weren't talking and weren't focussed. After lunch, they decided to skip going to the tournament, and headed up to the room.

"Alright you two," Blake began, "What's going on?"

Weiss and Neo exchanged a look.

"What do you mean?" Asked Weiss. "Nothing's going on? We're just both tired, right, Neo?" She nudged Neo lightly.

"Yep…" Neo trailed off, wondering whether to tell the others what had happened last night. But then she'd have to tell them what Weiss told her, and it was pretty obvious Weiss wanted to deal with this alone and keep it a secret. "Yeah, we're just tired, I guess." She stretched for effect, and felt a short stabbing pain where she had been injured just a few days ago, right beneath her lung. "Can I just take a nap now?" She went over to her bed, laid down, and fell asleep.

A few hours later, she was woken by Yang. The curtains were closed and the lamps lit. The clock told her it was half an hour till dinner.

"Hey, you slept for, like, six hours, you wanna come downstairs and have some dinner?" The brawler was sat on the bed next to her.

Neo sat up and yawned widely, looking around. The rest of the room was empty. "Sure. Hey, where is everyone?"

"Weiss said she had something to do, and Blake and Ruby just went to the library. They wanted to play the Remnant game with ream SSSN, I think."

Neo stood up, dragging Yang up with her. "Let's go down and see them, okay?"

"Sure…"

Down in the library, Neo and Yang found Ruby noisily protesting Sun's capturing of her air fleets, Blake quietly chuckling and Sage looking confusedly at his cards. Scarlet was draped over a nearby chair, scroll in hand, rapidly firing messages at someone. Weiss and Neptune were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Guys! Look who woke up!" Yang sing-songed at them. Scarlet jumped up to greet Neo, earning a split-second glare from Sage, which no-one but Neo and Blake noticed. Neo shrank back into her clothes, shrinking herself self-consciously as Scarlet stepped towards her.

"How are you feeling, Neo?" He asked gently, as though she was an invalid. For a second she thought about giving him a tongue-lashing, but then realised no-one knew about what had happened.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" She asked him, similarly to the way she had when they had first met. He nodded, and followed her out of the library and into an empty classroom.

He turned to her, confused. "So what did you want to talk about?"

She sat down on the desk, crossed her legs, and drew on the power and confidence she relied on in battle. She waited until she felt the colour flooding into her eyes, then blinked, allowing them to change. He stared back at her sudden transformation, from meek little Neo to angry, prepared Neapolitan. "Tell me something," She said, the power running through her voice as it filled the room, "Did you actually want to go on a date, or just hook up with me?"

He blinked himself, surprised, "I wanted to take you out on a date. Why? What happened between last night and now to make you think otherwise?"

She smirked. "I received an anonymous phone call last night. From your room." Understanding filled his eyes. "How about you stop screwing around with literally every girl you see?" She hopped off the table. "I mean; did you really think that it would work on me?"

"If you're talking about the girl- "

"What else would I be talking about?" Her eyes narrowed.

"What exactly did you hear?"

"Enough."

"That's not an answer, Neo." His voice had gone cold and hard, as had his eyes. "If you didn't stick around to hear the whole conversation then who are you to judge?"

Neo was confused. "Whole conversation?" she felt her anger give way to curiosity.

"If you didn't hear the end, I told her to piss off." He thawed a little. "She's my ex-girlfriend. She moved here from Mistral, and thinks we should go out again now that I'm here for the festival. She keeps doing shit like that."

Neo let her guard down. She was sure he was telling the truth. That was one of her skills; she knew lies before they were told. "So why was she in your room? And why did the rest of your team walk out and leave you two alone?"

"They don't think I should have broken up with her. See, her sister is Neptune's ex, and both of those girls come from a supposedly important, prominent family here in Vale, and Neptune seems to think they shouldn't have broken up. You know what he's like, he flirts with anything, that hurt her feelings. Anyway, Sun thinks that I'm being irrational by breaking up with Militia."

The name sparked a memory for Neo. "Melanie and Militia? The Twins?"

"That's them. You know them?"

Neo sighed. "Why would you get involved with those two? My god, what is wrong with you people?" She started pacing, but paused y the desk she had been sitting on. "Oh, my god."

Scarlet moved closer to her, and took her hand. "I guess you don't like them, then. I guess you don't want me to ask why, But Neo, you have to know I'm not cheating on you."

"You couldn't cheat on me anyway because we aren't together!" Neo made no effort to pull away from him, though, and gasped when he pulled her into a gentle kiss. She closed her eyes as his soft lips made contact with hers. He stepped backwards and she opened her eyes, looking at him in a completely different light. Before, he had just been a sexy, accented, foreign guy, but now he was closer than ever, and she honestly felt she was in love with him.

He smiled. "Are you sure we can't be together?"

She felt herself smile back despite her stomach doing backflips. "I guess I could reconsider."

They kissed again, but this time it was less gentle. Neo pressed her body against his, longing for closeness. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him, and he moved over to the wall and pressed her against it. She moved more ferociously now, her hands roaming his chest and shoulders as her hips rocked and he kissed her neck and shoulder. She whispered slightly, her eyes half closed.

"We should do it." He whispered to her.

She glanced around. "Not here."

He stopped kissing her and let her down. "How about we head into Vale, to find a hotel?"

"I can work with that."

Neo and Scarlet lay back in bed, both panting heavily after their endeavours. Scarlet had taken her to a seafront hotel and paid for a master suite for the night. They had both messaged their teams to tell them they wouldn't be back till the morning. Neo sat up, wrapping the bedsheet around her chest. Scarlet reached out and touched her back. "How did you say these happened?"

She felt comfortable discussing it with him, despite having hidden her scars for years. "Well, as a kid I was told I had to sell my body to earn my keep. When I couldn't do it, they beat me. Usually with a whip, or a blade, or something else that would take time to heal, so I would remember not to rebel again. It didn't work, and no one wants someone who's physically messed up, so they made me train as a fighter. It messed me up more than just physically, though, cause now I have this personality thing." She pulled her knees up to her neck and rested her chin on them. "I guess I got lucky, though. Some kids went insane with those beatings. I just got a psychopathic tendency."

Scarlet rolled onto his elbow and rested his head on her forearm. "Your scars are a part of you. I know you probably hate them, that's why you hide them, but they're always going to be there. Besides, we're all damaged, physically or not." He began kissing her arm, then her shoulder, then her neck. They both lay down, and Neo rested her head on his chest as he stroked her hair, his other arm wrapped around her.

At around 6AM, Neo snuck back into the team RWBY dorm, certain everyone would be asleep. Instead, she found Weiss sat up in bed, reading a book, her scroll close at hand. She looked up at Neo.

"Finally much!" She whispered, jumping up as grabbed Neo's hand, pulling her into the bathroom. "Where were you?"

Neo looked at her friend guiltily. "I was out… with Scarlet."

"The whole night? What happened? I thought you were pissed off at him?"

"He explained what happened. And I think I know why Neptune's acting weird, as well."

Weiss' eyes grew bigger than they already were. "Spill!" She demanded.

"Supposedly, his last girlfriend broke up with him and he kinda wants her back." Weiss started. "And her sister is Scarlet's ex, but he broke up with her, and now she's basically stalking him. Supposedly, Neptune and Sun think it's a good idea if they date again."

"NOT okay." Weiss started pacing. "What the hell is Neptune's problem? What, one girl isn't enough for him? He wants his ex and another girl as well? That's it, I'm breaking up with him." She pulled her scroll out of her pocket.

"Wait!" Neo grabbed Weiss' wrist. "If you do that now, he'll know something's up. Scarlet walks into the dorm, then his girlfriend calls him to break up with him?"

"So?"

"So you think it's a good idea to drop Scarlet in it?"

"Hey, he thinks they should be together, so why the heck not?" They had forgotten to whisper, and a knock came from the door.

"Weiss? Um, it's kinda early, do you think you could keep it down? Saturday mornings are for sleeping!" Blake opened the door and peeped in. "Oh Neo, you're back!"

"Hey Blake." Neo rubbed her eyes. "Sorry about the noise. We'll be back in bed in a few minutes, okay?"

"Take your time, guys, just keep it down." She backed out of the bathroom and closed the door.


	8. Butterscotch Ice Cream

Everyone was fairly distant the following day, which was Saturday. After sleeping in until about 11AM, team RWBY, newly rechristened RWBYN (Robin) headed down to the dining hall. Yang had gotten in later than Neo had, and couldn't be woken from her deep slumber even by Ruby's whistle. Team SSSN joined them, along with team JNPR, and (surprisingly) Emerald and Mercury.

I suppose they have to keep up pretences, thought Neo, as she delicately spooned up her yogurt, topped with blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. She would have to explain to the others that she knew them, sooner or later, though. She froze. Had she told anyone yet? After she first saw Emerald acting all buddy-buddy with team RWBY, she had fainted. Then… she had been asked out by Scarlet, then Weiss had had a go at her, then a vague reconciliation, then… yesterday…. She hadn't had a chance, had she?

Weiss nudged her. "Neo, are you listening?"

"Huh?" Neo blinked and saw everyone looking at her, "Oh, sorry. I guess I was daydreaming. What did you say?"

"Do you wanna go catch some more fights today, or do you want to go to the library? It's a tie right now, and we kinda want to go somewhere as a whole group, so you'd be the deciding vote."

Neo thought it over. "The library, I guess. I'm a lot more behind than I thought I was."

Weiss corrected her grammar, "It's 'I'm further behind than I thought', not 'a lot more behind'." Everyone laughed. "Good grammar is nothing to laugh at!"

Neptune turned to Weiss, "Well, it doesn't really matter, does it?" She sniffed and looked back at Neo.

"I guess we'll be headed to the library, then!"

"I can tutor you, if you want, Neo," Blake chipped in, not looking up from her notebook. Neo glanced at the flat book, open on the table, that Blake was rifling through. She saw a small drawing of a rose on a page that fluttered up, and something which looked suspiciously like…. It couldn't be….

"Blake, you mind if I see that quickly?" the notebook was passed over. Neo pulled up the page, and sure enough, it was a sketch of Adam Taurus. Her heart stopped for a few seconds, and Blake's bow twitched, her ears picking up the change in pulse. Neo closed the book and handed it back. "Thanks."

"Any time. So about tutoring…?"

"Yeah, that would be great." Neo left it at that. Everyone had returned to their conversations, which suited her just fine. She needed to process this latest discovery. Mercury shot glances in her direction over the remainder of breakfast.

They headed to the library and began working until about half past twelve, when Sun suggested they go get some lunch.

"Sun," Blake began, "We have been working for about 45 minutes. You cannot be hungry already!"

"I can go grab some food for all you guys." Emerald offered, her and Mercury already standing up. "Join us, Neo?" It wasn't a request.

Neo followed The two deviants out of the building, into the cloudy, overcast afternoon. Once they were safely out of sight from the library, Emerald grabbed Neo's arm and dragged her into an alley behind the cafeteria. "What are you doing here?" The once cheerful, ruby-eyed girl was wearing a nasty scowl, and Mercury looked ready to destroy something.

"I could say the same to you." Neo responded with the same amount of spite. "Gunna drag me back to Cinder and Roman? Cause I won't go willingly, you know that!"

Emerald looked confused. "Cinder ordered us to pose as students from Haven? You're technically enrolled too, that's how we fought in the tournament."

"That's like a lifetime ago! Besides, I was never told Cinder's plans. If you're not here to drag me back, then why did you bring me here?"

Mercury pulled out his scroll. "You're going to talk to Torchwick. You'll want to hear this."

Neo rolled her eyes. "There are no scrolls in prison, duh."

"Who said he's using a scroll? Besides, you don't have to say anything. We'll use the hologram projector. He thinks you're mute, right? Let's keep it that way."

Neo nodded in silence. Let's get this over with, then., she thought.

Roman's face popped up in front of the scroll, facing Mercury. "What is it, kid, I have some extremely appetising bread and frozen butter to get back to."

Mercury smirked, "Didn't you have something to say to little ice cream?" he held the scroll out for Neo to take. She pulled it towards her, and flinched at Roman's sarcastic cackle.

"Well, Neo, it seems you came back. Now, let's keep this brief. I need you to come back. Ah, ah, ah, don't shake your head just yet. I need you part-time, just to bust me out of here and help out. Nothing like what you used to do, your disguises come in handy. Come on, kid," he said as she shook her head, "I promise you won't be doing anything disrespectful. And if you don't, well, I've asked Emerald and Mercury to ensure the death of everyone in Beacon. Including who I understand to be your new teammates, and FRIENDS. Do you really want them to die because you're too stubborn to take a part-time job?" Neo paused to consider, and allowed her eyes to change from the calm pink they'd settled on to her right eye being pink and her left being brown. She nodded shallowly, and pressed the "end" button. She tossed it back to mercury.

"To be clear, I'm doing it to protect my friends. I don't care about Roman, or any of you lot."

Emerald laughed, her fake, happy laugh. "Sure thing. By the way, let me ask what freaked you out at breakfast?" Neo started. "We spent a long time together, Neo, don't think I don't notice these things."

Neo sighed. "Fine. Blake has a drawing of Taurus in her notebook. A detailed one, like she knew him for a long time and studied him. The page also had a few incomprehensible scribbles and a drawing of a rose." Her relatively detailed report was caught entirely by Emerald and Mercury, who turned and walked off. She followed suit, and they grabbed packaged sandwiched and drinks from the vending machines at the back of the dining hall.

Back at the Library, Yang had turned up and was distracting Ruby, much to Weiss' disapproval. The food quelled Yang for a bit, who had apparently drunk Junior's bar dry (again). Apparently, she had been out partying with Neon and Flynt, making good on her promise they had made after their doubles match. Team FNKI were able to match Yang in her insane partying, and there weren't enough sandwiched to soak up the alcohol, so Blake essentially carried her to the canteen to get her some coffee. Sage seemed interested in this whole affair, but barely said anything. Neo understood that he was the strong-but-silent type, but this was a little too much quiet.

"Hey, guys!" Team CFVY's leader, Coco Adel, appeared, tailed by her team. "Working hard?"

"Sure," replied Pyrrha. "How are you today, Coco?"

"I'm great, as we all are. Hey, Sage, Yatsu just wanted a quick word?"

Sage stood and followed Yatsu to a table a few metres away. They seemed to hit it off immediately, which made velvet look a little upset.

"H-hey, Neo?" Velvet whispered, "Would it be okay if I spoke to you outside?"

"Normally I'm the on being quiet and asking to speak to people," Neo joked, ensuing in a ripple of laughter, but followed Velvet outside. "So what's up?"

"In reality? I just wanted a picture of your weapon for my collection."

Neo twisted her umbrella between her hands. "Um…"

"Please," Velvet begged, "I really need a wider arsenal of weapons, especially ones that are unique to their owners?" Neo offered her umbrella to Velvet, then leaned against the wall and let Velvet open the umbrella and take a picture of it, focussing on the hilt. Then, she leaned forwards and looked at the button Neo used to pull the sword out with the handle. "You know, with some adjustments, this could work both ways."

"What do you mean, both ways?" Neo's curiosity was piqued.

"Well, you could use this as a switch, and have the sword be able to come out of this top part like _this_." Velvet demonstrated what she meant by drawing it out. "If you did that, it would give you more reach and you'd have an extra hidden weapon in the umbrella."

Neo looked at her, confused. "How did you know it even had a sword?"

The Faunus girl gave a small laugh. "An umbrella may be useful, especially with this fireproof material, but it's not good on the offense unless something's hidden within it. And it's too skinny to be a gun. Process of elimination, I guess."

"Velvet, you're a GENIUS!" Neo hugged her, barely coming up to the girl's chin. "Can you come with me, to work on this?"

"Sure, but aren't you studying?"

"Beacon is about training the best possible hunters and huntresses, and a whole lot of that is due to the weapons, right? By the way, you mentioned an arsenal. So what exactly IS your weapon?"

"Well… I guess you'd find out soon enough. It's a Hard Light Copy of all of your weapons. So I get to copy your weapons and your fighting styles. It's really cool, but it takes time to build up. That's why I'm using a different camera for your weapon, so I have a backup arsenal in case something happens to my main lot. Anyways, yeah, I'll help you. Let's just tell the others that we're heading to the workshop, okay?"


	9. Bittersweet Ice Cream

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, reader! Sorry I haven't ported much but I've been busy. I forgot to note: these latest chapters have spoilers. Also, This story will be ending soon, because I want it to wrap up around the same point in time as the end of Volume 3. That's why Neo's going to be different in this chapter than to previous chapters. Have fun, and don't forget to leave a review! Thanks!**

Neo wiped a smudge of grease from her cheek and smiled up at Velvet. They had reconstructed the blade within her parasol, so it now came out of the tip using a switch on the handle. "Thanks for helping me out with this, Velvet, I really appreciate it."

"Any time. Besides, I told you I needed more copies. So, can I take a snap of you holding it?" She held up her second camera, and Neo tipped the umbrella over her shoulder, cocking her head and blinking as Velvet took the picture, the flash blinding her temporarily. "Thanks for this Neo. So, you wanna head back to the library?"

Neo's scroll buzzed. She pulled it out to see Mercury's number flash up on her screen. "Sorry, I have to take this. Can I catch you up?" Velvet swiftly left the room, securing the locks on her own Box. "What is it, Mercury, I'm busy."

"I'm sure you are." Came Cinder's cold voice from the speaker, "But I have a job for you to do. Tomorrow night, during the doubles match, I need you to get on board the third Atlesean military airship and bust Roman out of prison. Oh, and if your friends come with you, I will know. So don't tell them." The line went dead.

All of a sudden, Neo knew what she had to do. She cleaned up her workspace quickly, and went back to the room. She had expected it to be empty, but Yang was in the bathroom, throwing up from the amount she had had to drink the previous night.

"Hey, Neo, is that you?" Yang groaned from behind the half-closed door. "Wuddya mind getting me some water?"

Neo grabbed a bottle from the mini-fridge and went into the bathroom. "Yang, you're still hung over. You should be in bed."

"Nah, I'm fine. I don't know what this bug is, but I've had it for a couple weeks now." She swirled the water around her mouth and spat it into the toilet bowl, then flushed and went over to the sink. "Ugh, I look like crap. I can't keep binge eating and then being sick. And I'm craving the weirdest things, like the other day, all I wanted was cake batter. Like, who wants cake batter for crying out loud?"

Neo looked at her suspiciously. "Yang, are you sure this is a bug?"

"Pretty sure, why?"

"When was the last time you got your period?"

"I don't know, a month or so ago? I know I'm supposed to be on it now, but- Hold on, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"You should take a test, just to be sure, and please for the love of Remnant stop drinking until we know for sure!"

Yang groaned. "Fine. But what about you? Why are you back here so soon? Aren't you guys studying or whatever?"

"Yeah, but I have some stuff to do. Stay here, I'll be back." _Maybe_ , she thought.

Yang leant against the counter and closed her eyes, crushing the empty bottle of water in her right hand. Neo backed out and closed the door quietly. She turned and headed to her dresser. She picked up the drawstring bag in the bottom drawer, and began filling it with her essentials; toiletries, purse, underwear, clothes, etc. she pulled the bag shut and glanced around the room. "I'll miss you guys," she whispered, before leaving the room.

She ran out of Beacon and towards the port, catching an airship to Vale. She pulled her scroll out of her pocket, and returned Mercury's call. "Where does she want me?" she asked, once he picked up.

She could practically hear his smirk. "Warehouse, after dark. Stay hidden till then." She hung up.

In Vale, she wandered round back alleys until she found a small, out-of-the-way café and sat in the furthest corner from the window, making herself look small. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, Scarlet was sat opposite her, looking down at a menu he was holding. "What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.

He chuckled. "I wondered why you left Beacon in such a rush. You never came back to the library, and then when I went to look for you, you were heading onto an airship. I've been following you since then. I was… worried about you." Her heart melted a little. "So why the hurry? And why the bag?"

She shrank down in her seat. "Scarlet, you can't be here. I'm serious," she protested as he snorted, "I can't be good for you. Or anyone else, for that matter. So, I'm leaving Beacon."

"Neo, you can't!" His yell made her sit up. other people in the café turned to look at them. "Sorry, but you can't leave us. Where will you go?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"NEO, PLEASE!"

"I'm sorry." Her voice cracked on the last word, and she bowed her head, scared that she would cry. "Tell the others that if we meet as enemies, to fight as hard as ever. They can't go easy. Now just go. I'm not good for you."

He stared at her for a few seconds, then tried to take her hand that was resting on the table. She pulled it away. He sat, stunned, for a few more seconds, then he stood up and walked out without looking back at her.

It was the only way to protect her friends.


	10. Zephyr's Rainflower Ice Cream

**WARNING: Volume 3 chapter 11 spoilers!**

 **Author's note: please don't take offence if this isn't where you wanted this story to go. I'm sorry, but I wanted it to run parallel to the real thing.**

 **I do not own RWBY or anything associated with it.**

"She's gone."

Scarlet's words rung through the ears of Mercury, Emerald, teams RWBY, CFVY, SSSN, and JNPR. Scarlet had called an emergency gathering up in team RWBY's room, after heading back to Beacon in a daze. Ruby was in the corner, crying, Yang looked more confused than ever, and Velvet seemed to be taking it worst of all. She was shaking like… well, like a bunny, and Coco was trying to comfort her but she pulled away from her team leader.

"It was my fault," Velvet whispered, "I was with her then I left her by herself."

"Don't blame yourself, Velv," said Yang, who was standing by the door, arms folded. "I saw her, too, probably just before she left. She helped me in the bathroom, then she said she was coming back… but… she never did…" Tears welled in her eyes.

"Guys, we have to think of a way to get her to come back," said Ruby, walking over to Yang and handing her a tissue. "Why would she leave?"

"Why don't we just see how this pans out?" Emerald asked. "I mean; it's not like we knew she was going to leave. Maybe it's just temporary?"

"I doubt it. she seemed pretty adamant that should any of us have to fight her; we fight to our fullest." Scarlet had his head bowed, his elbows resting on his knees. Sage patted him on the shoulder, but he shrugged his hand off. "She isn't coming back. Accept it." He stood up, and walked out. Everyone stared at his abrupt exit.

"Velvet." Said Coco suddenly, "Is it okay if I ask you to delete her weapon from your camera? We don't copy our foes." And with that, she also turned and walked out.

Neo walked down to the warehouse. She was scared to go in, to see what awaited her. It was still light, so she walked around the area for a few minutes, distracted, and was startled when she bumped into a grey suit or armour, worn by none other than Cardin. She wasn't in the mood for this.

"What do you want, jackass?"

He grinned down at her. "Rumour has it, you've defected from Beacon to join a gang of psychopaths."

She REALLY wasn't in the mood for this. "Listen Cardin, this is none of your business. And if you could stop being a sadistic, bullying fuck for ten seconds you'd realise that you could be using your power and training for something positive. Now go do something, good or bad, but just _stay the hell away from me_."

He stepped back, confused, then turned and stalked off. Neo breathed heavily. She had almost lost control. She turned away, too, and went back to the warehouse. The sun had not quite set, but she couldn't risk being seen by anyone else.

Inside the building, there was little sunlight, just artificial lighting. It smelt musty and dirty, something she had never noticed before. Cinder was standing under some rafters, on an upper level, talking to Adam Taurus. When she noticed Neo, standing inside the door, she beckoned her with one finger like the dictator she truly was. Neo followed her orders. _I'm doing this for you guys,_ she thought, as she rose on the elevator.

"Adam darling, would you leave us for a few minutes?" Cinder suggested seductively to Adam, who bowed and left. Cinder strolled over to Neo, who shrank down in her outfit under the half-fall-maiden's gaze. "You came. Excellent. Now, I want your word that you will never disappear again."

"YOU threw ME out?" Neo countered. Cinder's eyes narrowed. "Fine. I promise I'll stay." Not for you, for my friends, she thought but didn't add.

"Good. Your first job starts tomorrow night. On board will be squadron Blue-II. It will be your job to take care of them, and ensure Roman's release. A file will be downloaded onto a scroll shortly. This must fall into Roman's possession in order for our operation to continue smoothly. The rest of your job will be to guard Roman and the ship."

Neo nodded, accepting that this was now her fate. "I'll do it."

"I have to set up a connection to the feed. Mercury will be fighting your _ex_ -teammate today. I suggest you wish her luck." Cinder walked off to the main terminal, and connected her scroll.

Neo relinquished her control, and let her psychopathic side take control.

Neo stood in front of the dead soldiers, admiring her handiwork. She held her own umbrella, and Roman's Cane, topped with his hat. She walked past the terminal, where someone was asking for Blue-II's status, and over to the cell at the back. She opened the door, and heard him speak.

"Well," he said from the shadows, "It's about time." Roman leaned forwards, his face glowing in the artificial lighting he'd been deprived of.

Neo handed him the scroll, and stood back, waiting to see what would happen with this file Cinder had mentioned.

"Now, this one…" He placed the scroll into the terminal, "This one's gunna be fun…"

Neo watched it surprise as the black queen virus spread through the system, infecting every order and file. She had heard Cinder's speech, but had never expected this to happen so openly.

A few minutes later, after Roman had fiddled with some more buttons, a THUNK was heard from the deck above them. Roman sighed. "Go see what that is." He sing-songed at her. She nodded and left the room, pulling her parasol after her. Maybe she could change out of this itchy military uniform now.

On the deck, she saw Ruby fighting a large Griffon Grimm. Her heart stopped. So soon? Maybe she couldn't keep this promise after all. She pulled out her scroll and opened the camera. Ruby turned in time to see her change her outfit, using her semblance. Neo snapped the picture, tilted her head, and winked at Ruby. This was no time to be soft.

"Remember what I asked, Ruby. Don't hold back. Please."

Neo and Torchwick fought Ruby, side by side. Neo barely noticed what anyone said. All she knew was that Ruby needed to beat her, no matter what. Suddenly, she found herself standing over Ruby, who was dangling off the edge of the ship, and was pointing her sword at her from the tip of the umbrella. God damn it, she thought, the students help me and I use their designs against them. How ironic. She looked down at Ruby, who was concentrating on not getting eaten, and silently mouthed "Stop me, Ruby."

Ruby looked up at her once-friend, and knew what she had to do.

"You can't stop them!" Roman crowed from behind them.

Ruby focussed on the button to open the umbrella.

"I can't stop them!"

Ruby and Neo braced themselves.

"You know the old saying- If you can't beat 'em-"

Ruby pulled herself up and pressed the button. Neo gasped as she was pulled off the airship, and was blown away.

"NEO!" Roman yelled from the top of the ship. Neo glanced back to see Ruby pulling herself up. She turned away and smiled. "Thank you, Ruby."


	11. THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER

**THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER. ALSO SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 3 CHAPTER 12. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

 **Sorry about this guys, but this is not a chapter. I just wanted to make it perfectly clear. This story went in a much different direction to what I originally intended, originally Neo was going to discover that she was really in love with Weiss and was going to have a major struggle with her sexuality. That was supposed to be the main turning point. But then, I decided to have it link up with whatever's going on in the show. Because Roman's dead, we can expect to never see Neo again. I doubt she's going to follow Ruby around, at any rate. Haven isn't exactly a short drive.**

 **I'm going to end this story here. If Neo comes back into the show, we'll see if she gets a follow-up story, but it's doubtful. She really was just treated as a plot device.**

 **Anyways, if you aren't already following me, my next story will be a Wise Dragon story, with my predictions for Yang's future in Volume 4. If you don't know what Wise Dragon is, it's YangxSage. Thanks for reading, and hope to hear your reviews!**

 **-rosegoldandgrey, A.K.A. Chaima'a**


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